Best Time and Attendance Software for Small Business, 2017

Time and attendance software can give you better insight into your team and help you track the days and hours they are working. For this buyer’s guide, we looked at the most popular options and rising stars and decided to review TSheets, TimeStation, and TrackSmart. These companies covered the range for small businesses in terms of price, ease of setup, and the number of customization options. Read on for our comparison and review of these three options, as well as our top recommendations.

We recommend TSheets because it has the best price for the number of time and attendance features included. They provide advanced features like scheduling and GPS tracking for clock ins, and integrate with 5 major payroll providers. TSheets is also the easiest time and attendance software to set up.

TSheets has the best price for the number of time and attendance features included. These include advanced features like shift scheduling and GPS tracking when employees clock in and out.

They integrate with 5 major payroll providers, including Gusto, our recommended payroll software for small businesses.

TSheets is the easiest time and attendance software to set up of the 3 systems we evaluated.

TSheets is the best value for time and attendance software because it includes 5 options for how employees can clock in/clock out, GPS tracking of employee time punches, and overtime alerts for the administrator when an employee is nearing overtime or double-overtime. Though TimeStation provides GPS tracking, the number of options for clocking in and out and overtime alerts are unique to TSheets.

TSheets also has scheduling software included in its single product, which can save you money from buying separate employee scheduling software, like you would have to if you chose TrackSmart. TimeStation does not offer scheduling options at all.

We also chose TSheets because it integrates with 5 payroll providers, including Gusto, Quickbooks Online, Quickbooks Desktop, Square, and Xero, all which are commonly used by small business owners and none of which are integrated with either TimeStation or TrackSmart. These integrations save you time because you can link your payroll to your time and attendance software, which ensures that the hours your employees log is exactly what they are paid for. TrackSmart offers no payroll integrations, so you have to do payroll manually.

TSheets is also the easiest to set up of our 3 software systems we looked at in this guide. TSheets is done in a 5-step, 5-minute process as soon as you create your free trial. This was much simpler and faster than TimeStation, which requires you to manually import employee data on a spreadsheet, and also faster than TrackSmart’s badge/steps setup program.

The downside to TSheets is that, in the end, it is more expensive than the other two software systems we evaluate here. So, if you are on a tight budget, even with TSheets’ great features, it might not be your best option.

TimeStation is the best time and attendance software for the small business on a tight budget. Businesses with 10 or fewer employees can get a free account (TSheets does allow for one free employee account, but most companies will outgrow that really quickly).

Aside from price, TimeStation is a simple product that serves its purpose for tracking time and attendance. Good features include GPS tracking of employees’ time punches and basic reporting functions. It integrates with Paychex and Ctuit, which are two major payroll providers, but both are not commonly used by small businesses.

TimeStation has several downsides. The most frustrating part was the setup, where you have to manually input employee data into a spreadsheet that it provides if you have a number of employees (you can also have employees register themselves through their website if you’d rather). This took much more time and effort than either TSheets or TrackSmart demand. The system also doesn’t allow you to set up overtime alerts for employees, which is one of the biggest perks of time and attendance software. TSheets lets you set up alerts and caps for overtime, saving you money and time tracking your employees.

TrackSmart is a simple time and attendance software option and that’s it. TrackSmart does not have any big bells and whistles or fancy add ons (note: TrackSmart has 3 products – TrackSmart Attendance, TrackSmart TimeClock, and TrackSmart Scheduling. In this buyer’s guide, we focus on the TrackSmart Attendance product only).

TrackSmart is middle of the road for everything in our buyer’s guide including:

Features – it has far fewer options than TSheets (i.e. no GPS, no scheduling), but it has more features than TimeStation (i.e. an overtime cost calculator)

Unfortunately, TrackSmart does not integrate with any payroll providers. With TrackSmart, you would have to export a report on employee time worked in Excel or a CSV file to link it to your payroll system, which leaves room for error. Both TSheets and TimeStation have payroll integrations.

We were unable to tell if more features become available if you purchase TrackSmart’s other two products, TrackSmart Scheduling and TrackSmart TimeClock, as a bundle with TrackSmart Attendance. Unfortunately, the company doesn’t make this clear on their website, and the reps did not answer our questions about this.

What Does Time and Attendance Software Do & What Businesses Should Use It?

Scheduling software is different because it focuses on scheduling employees for shifts and is generally only appropriate for shift-based companies like restaurants or retail stores. Time tracking software focuses on tracking time for remote employees, projects, or client-based work, like for graphic design firms or companies with a lot of remote employees. For example, time tracking software might allow you to take photos of someone’s computer screen while they work to verify they are working.

The three companies we are reviewing here all do time and attendance with some scheduling capabilities and some time tracking capabilities, but that is not their focus. Their focus is on tracking the days and hours your employees work and the days and hours they do not. This centers arounds giving employees options to clock in and out. The end result is more accurate payroll.

In-Depth Comparison: TSheets vs TrackSmart vs TimeStation

Pricing

All 3 of our systems have pricing that varies by the number of users, as well as by the features included. It is notable that all of them offer discounts for purchasing an annual package. Here is a table to help you see the comparison if you buy a monthly plan:

# of Employees

TSheets Monthly Cost

TimeStation Monthly Cost

TrackSmart Monthly Cost

12

$64 (w/o scheduling)

$19.95

$21.95, $31.95, or $41.95 (depends on plan you choose)

25

$116 (w/o scheduling)

$29.95

$31.95 or $41.95 (depends on plan you choose)

52

$224 (w/o scheduling)

$39.95

$41.95

TSheets– TSheets is a good example of getting what you pay for. You pay more but get a lot more in features. It’s more expensive than TrackSmart and TimeStation, so if price is your biggest concern, then you will want to look more closely at our other two systems.

TSheets pricing is:

Personal level = 1 employee = free

Business level = 2-99 employees = $4/ user + $16/month base fee

Platinum level = 100+ employees = $4/user + $80/month base fee

Add $1/user for scheduling capabilities for Business and Platinum levels

TSheets does provide discounts up to 20% for companies who choose an annual payment plan over a month to month plan.

TimeStation– TimeStation is the best budget option for our time and attendance software buyer’s guide. Unique to TimeStation is the great free option for up to 10 employees (TSheets offers a free plan but for just 1 employee).

The prices for TimeStation are:

Up to 10 employees = Free

11-20 employees = $19.95/month

21-50 employees = $29.95/month

51-100 employees = $39.95/month

101-200 employees = $59.95/month

If price is your top concern, TimeStation is worth a look. TSheets is priced per user, so once you get over 50 employees, it can start to become cost prohibitive.

The PowerTrack is by far the best option and, for only $10-20 more per month or $100 more annually, it makes sense since it gives you a number of customizable options (like tracking accrued paid time off (PTO)). However, the CoreTrack, which is comparable to the same features as TimeStation, could be an option if you are on a budget or if you have a small employee base.

Ease of Setup

Ease of setup directly relates to price for this buyer’s guide on time and attendance software. The more you pay (TSheets), the easier setup is. You’ll need to input the following data to get your time & attendance software up and running:

Your employee roster and their pay in either a payroll file or in an Excel/CSV spreadsheet

A decision on what day of the week your work week begins and ends

A decision on your overtime limits and budgets

TSheets– One of the things I liked the most about TSheets was its easy and fast setup. I really appreciated that, as soon as I created an account (which took 30 seconds), the system walked me through how to set it up for my business including:

If you don’t want to set it up right then, right there, they also send you a video and printable setup guides for their web and mobile versions. If you use one of their integrated payroll systems, your business could be set up in TSheets in literally 5 minutes. This incredibly easy setup is unique to TSheets; the other two systems require a few steps or manual processes, making TSheets the star of the ease of setup category and one of the major reasons we picked it as the best time and attendance software for small businesses.

TimeStation– It’s easy to create an account on TimeStation, but after that, you get what you pay for. TimeStation has either a manual import process for your employees, where you either need to fill out a downloadable form from their system for each employee or use an Excel spreadsheet. Unless you have an administrative assistant or someone who really loves Excel, manually uploading employees could be reason alone for any business over 20-30 employees to eliminate TimeStation from consideration as a potential time and attendance service. You can also have them register individually from the website, but you then run the risk of employees doing it themselves.

TrackSmart– TrackSmart plays a close second to TSheets for ease of use. Like TSheets, it’s easy to create an account for TrackStart, and you can be set up in 30 seconds. You then immediately get an onboarding email with 5 setup stages, which are:

Adding employees

Practicing logging in (didn’t understand why this one was necessary)

Adding calendar events, like company holidays

Activating the employee self–service portal

Encouraging employees to use self service via automated reminders and other actions they list you can take

Since TrackSmart doesn’t have payroll integrations, you have to go through the 5 stages and manually add employees and payroll data. You can upload with an Excel or CSV file, or you can manually enter them one by one. I also like TSheets better since it right away got you to set up your overtime boundaries/alerts and make sure that you are compliant with your state.

Here is a screenshot of the TrackSmart dashboard, and you can see in the top right where you can set up reports and employees:

Clock In/Clock Out Features

Depending on what kind of business you run, you might require a certain clock in/clock out feature that only one of our systems has or perhaps you require GPS tracking, like if you have an HVAC business where employees go to client sites for work. The 3 software systems compared here span a range of clock in/clock out options.

TSheets– TSheets has more options than our other two systems for clocking in and clocking out. You can choose from allowing your employees to clock in and out via:

A punch-card style format

Manual clock in and out

Mobile apps from their own personal devices

Dialing into the clock in and clock out system

Tweeting to your clock in and clock out system

The system seems to make the most sense with the first 3 options, but dial in (aka phoning into the system) could be good if your employees have an inconsistent internet connection. How your employees would Tweet in from Twitter was a bit unclear. However, the 5 options are far more expansive than those allowed by either TrackSmart or TimeStation, and you can set what options are acceptable for employees to use (e.g. they can dial in but not Tweet).

You can set up TSheets to remind employees to clock in and clock out by text, email, or both. TSheets also provides GPS tracking (as does TimeStation) so you can see where your employees are clocking in and out. This is useful if you have employees that go to client sites, and it can link to the employee’s mobile app (available on iOS, Android, and Windows).

TimeStation– Like TSheets, TimeStation lets you set permissions for your employees to clock in via the mobile app, a website, or both. You also can set up a manager notification when an employee clocks in or out, which can be nice if you have a lot of remote employees or remote managers.

TimeStation has the simple options of a punch-card style clock in/clock out from anywhere with Internet. They also have printable cards if you’d rather have employees scan a custom QR code when clocking in and out.

Like TSheets, TimeStation has GPS tracking so that you can see where your employees are when they clock in and out.

One big perk that is unique to TimeStation is that it can function in offline mode–if your employees can’t get a signal when they are trying to clock in or out, they can still record the time and once they do have an Internet signal, the system will accurately update.

TrackSmart– As long as you have internet, TrackSmart’s punch-card style clock in/clock out is fine. However, that is the only option they have for your employees, which is far less than TSheets. They do have iOS and Android mobile apps for your employees to use for clocking in and out, but they will need an Internet signal to connect. If your business doesn’t have consistent internet, or if your employees go places where there is no wifi, TrackSmart is not going to be a good option for your business.

Overtime Features

With ever-changing labor laws, time and attendance software can be helpful to keep your business compliant with overtime laws. In addition, as a small business owner, it can save you money to know when staff members are about to start clocking at time and a half or double time. In this category, TSheets again takes the win because they let you set up overtime alerts and compliance features right away.

TSheets– I really liked how, in TSheets’ initial setup steps, you have to set up your overtime boundaries right then and right there. The steps include making sure you are compliant with whatever state(s) your business is in, including California compliance (which has unique overtime laws), and then you can set overtime alerts.

It can really help you as a small business owner to get overtime on autopilot so you can schedule employees more efficiently or figure out if you need to hire more employees. TSheets was the only system that forced me to set up overtime alerts and features immediately. As a former in-house HR manager who had hourly employees often working overtime, I thought this was a huge perk in saving a business time, money, and headaches.

You can see what this looks like in the screenshot below:

TimeStation– Unfortunately, TimeStation does not have any of the OT features or alerts that TSheets or TrackSmart does. If you choose TimeStation, you’ll either need to consistently run OT reports (which you can do here in TimeStation, as well as in TrackSmart and TSheets) or keep an eye on it yourself.

TrackSmart– Similar to TSheets, TrackSmart has “guaranteed OT compliance,” but how it does this is not as clear or intuitive as TSheets. I think if I had set up a paid account and uploaded real employee data, TrackSmart would have explained more than just what it let me do in my free trial.

One unique feature about TrackSmart is that it has a labor cost calculator feature, which you can use to compare the week ahead versus the week prior in terms of the number of employees you have working. This feature could be really useful in a business like a restaurant or retail store with a lot of shift workers.

Scheduling Capabilities

Even though we talk about employee scheduling in detail in another buyer’s guide, we found that some time and attendance software systems also let you create employee schedules. TSheets includes both features, so you can solve two problems at once. TrackSmart and TimeStation do not have employee scheduling capability.

TSheets– If you are a business that wants to solve the dual problems of scheduling and time and attendance, TSheets is your best answer since it includes employee scheduling (neither TrackSmart nor TimeStation include it). You can create employee schedules by shift, by employee, or by job options (like retail associates only or bartenders only), which is comparable to our recommended scheduling software options.

TimeStation– TimeStation is a simple software for time and attendance and does not have any scheduling features. You can run reports to reflect employee schedules and the hours worked, but you can’t actually create an employee schedule like you can in TSheets.

TrackSmart– While TrackSmart doesn’t include scheduling like TSheets, it does have a separate product called TrackSmart Scheduling. However, how these products link together or the price to buy both of them as a package was not clear despite requests for information, and our requests to learn how this would work went unanswered.

Payroll Integrations

When picking a time and attendance software system, the payroll system you currently have in place could determine which software. Integrating with payroll systems means that the time and attendance your employees log are automatically imported into your payroll software and matched seamlessly to how much you pay them–making payroll accurate and easy.

TSheets– Our recommended time and attendance software TSheets has the most integrations for payroll. TSheets integrates with the following 5 payroll systems (with more on the horizon, they say):

These are all small-business friendly payroll software options, and neither competitor integrates with these payroll tools.

TimeStation– TimeStation integrates with the payroll systems Paychex and Ctuit. If you use one of those providers, TimeStation might be a good option. However, if you use something else, you’ll need to manually import payroll date with Excel or a CSV file, like TrackSmart. Paychex and Ctuit are not nearly as common for small businesses as Gusto or Quickbooks, which TSheets links to.

TrackSmart– TrackSmart does not integrate with any payroll providers at the time of press. To me, this didn’t make sense, since then you need to export data for every payroll by Excel or CSV file and upload it. In my experience, when I was an in-house HR manager, this resulted in errors and required a lot of hand-checking payroll. If you have a lot of employees, this could be a major headache for you (versus using TSheets or TimeStation, if you have one of their integrations).

Reporting Features

One benefit of time and attendance software is that it can provide you insight into your workforce. From who is always on time to work to overtime costs, time and attendance software systems should be able to run reports that provide value to the business owner. Our recommended time and attendance software TSheets has the most reporting capabilities of the three software systems, but all three performed quite well in this category.

TSheets– For reporting capabilities, TSheets has report options that span timesheet approvals, payroll history, and projects, and you can run them by employee group (e.g. the accounting team), job types (e.g. hourly employees), and schedules (e.g. part time employees). You can also set the system to auto-run reports, which is unique to TSheets. You can also run real-time reports, which TrackSmart does as well, so you can see what’s happening at the exact moment (this could be useful if you have to travel away from your work site frequently).

TimeStation– TimeStation surprised me here. Despite its simple interface, you can run up to 19 report kinds that can be run by specific employee or other customizable options like date ranges. This is useful to give a business owner insight into weekly differences in payroll costs, as well as to see if there is a pattern of absences, which can help for recruiting purposes.

TrackSmart – TrackSmart has great reporting capabilities that let you run customizable and very specific reports, especially if you buy the PowerTrack option at $41.95/month. TrackSmart has the ability to give you insights into your workforce in real time, like TSheets does. I liked how TrackSmart sends you a weekly email of insights and ideas for reports to run into your inbox. This helped remind me of what I could use the system for aside from just tracking time and attendance.

Customer Support

Since time and attendance software should link directly to your employees’ pay cycles, customer support is a bit more important here than in other buyer’s guides. If someone on your team has problems with their hours or log in issues or other needs, you need customer support to be consistent, reliable, and easy to reach.

TSheets– TSheets provides the best customer service of our three systems. Not only do they have more options than TimeStation and TrackSmart, but they also have incredible response times that I can attest from my experience.

TSheets’ customer service options span:

Phone support available Monday – Friday, 6am – 7pm MST with 35 seconds “until you get a real person” response time

24/7 email support with a less than 1 hour response time during business hours

Live chat Monday – Friday, 6am – 6pm MST- only system to have live chat!

TimeStation– As is the theme with TimeStation, you get what you pay for and customer service is no different. They have the fewest options for customer support of our three system. They only have a help articles bank and email support. The email is available 24/7, but response time can vary in my experience. TimeStation needs a business owner who is a can-do, tech-savvy person willing to solve their own system issues.

TrackSmart– Customer support at TrackSmart was not my favorite. I really don’t like that their customer support is run by Zendesk for both their phone and email support systems. While the email support runs 24/7, it is clunky. TrackSmart does at least have Zendesk phone support available M-F, 8am-6pm EST. However, I didn’t like that I was talking to someone who does not work at TrackSmart. If I had a real problem with my payroll, I think I would be frustrated with TrackSmart’s customer service options.

TrackSmart does have a support center with past webinars and other searchable resources.

All Time and Attendance Software Options

We do our best to review the 3 options that are best for small businesses, but we understand that there are several other great providers out on the market for time and attendance software. Here are all the time and attendance software companies that we considered for our article:

Deputy is an affordable option that combines employee shift scheduling with time and attendance, including PTO tracking.

The Bottom Line

Time and attendance software can be useful for streamlining your employees’ time worked to your payroll, as well as provide helpful insight into your labor costs and any personnel issues in your business. We recommend TSheets as a comprehensive solution for small businesses because of its advanced features including GPS tracking and 5 ways for employees to clock in and clock out, as well it has an affordable employee scheduling add-on. For small businesses on a budget, TimeStation is a great option, and TrackSmart also proves to be another option for small businesses.

About the Author

Christy Hopkins, PHR, is a Human Resources consultant and writer at FitSmallBusiness.com. Her areas of expertise include full spectrum talent management (including recruiting & performance management), organizational change, and implementing HR systems. While being a part of FitSmallBusiness, Christy still maintains her HR consulting and recruiting firm that boasts over 30 small business clients spanning the U.S. from Vermont to Seattle.

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